When is a weighted lap pad the best choice?

The other day I was contacted by a mother who was trying to decide if her son needed a weighted blanket. She homeschools her children and one of them struggles with being wiggly and distracted while they are doing their lesson. When she took the time to rub his neck and back, he calmed right down, and was able to focus on his work.

As a busy mom with other children and tasks to attend to, she wondered if a weighted blanket would help meet that same need.

Here was my answer:

“It’s entirely possible. Unless he’s having trouble sleeping as well, you may find a weighted lap pad to be a better compromise.”

Weighted blankets have a well-established reputation for being calming and grounding.

Weighted lap pads are miniature versions that offer the same benefits in a compact package that’s perfect for doing school work and homework.

Weighted lap pads are great, not just for providing that proprioceptive input that helps a child calm so he or she can focus: It can also give their hand something to quietly fidget with while they listen and think.

There are a couple of times when I recommend someone start with a weighted lap pad instead of a weighted blanket:

1 — their primary need is not sleep-related
2 — they have both needs (focus and sleep) but you would like to invest small before making the larger investment